It Wasn't Me
by KatherineKent
Summary: A one-shot of something we were teased with in Homecoming.  What happened at the dinner reservation at 7pm for Future Lois and Future Clark?


A one-shot of something we were teased with in Homecoming.

**Short summary** : What happened at the dinner reservation at 7pm for Future Lois and Future Clark?

* * *

><p>Lois drummed her fingers on the table impatiently.<p>

"Where is he?" she wondered aloud in a slightly annoyed tone. Lifting up her wrist she checked the time on her watch.

"Twenty minutes late. Uuugh. If I didn't know that he'll have the best reason ever when he finally arrives I'd be livid." She dropped her head and rested her forehead on one hand. _Boy was he out of it earlier today. What had gotten into him? Forgetting his glasses ... no work suit ... no 'other' suit. At least he was still on hand for the save._

"Excuse me, miss," came a tenor voice from behind her, "but you look like you've been stood up. He should be ashamed of himself. Mine if I join you instead?"

Lois stood up and twirled round. "Clark!" she exclaimed with a big smile on her face. She changed it to a frown. "Where have you been?"

"Sorry Lois, urgent," he looked around at the fellow diners, "... deadline." He gave her a kiss on the cheek then walked round to the other side of the table and sat down.

Lois lowered herself back down into her chair and picked up her menu. "I've already decided," she said looking at the menu. She closed it up and passed it over to Clark. "Here you go, honey."

Clark indicated to the waiter to come and take their order and he read the menu and made his decision in the moments it took for the waiter to arrive. After the waiter had taken the orders Clark passed the menu to him and then turned back to Lois.

"Well, at least you've sorted out that wardrobe malfunction from earlier." She circled her eyes with her fingers. "What were you thinking? It's like you were a different person."

"It wasn't me," Clark replied. It was time for Lois to know the truth. He'd kept it from her until now as he needed her to act as natural as possible.

"Damn right it wasn't you." Lois nodded in agreement with herself. "Oh, and did you find the Legion ring?"

"In a way." He smiled wryly.

"So what was it then? Red? Couldn't have been green as you weren't in pain." Lois prattled on unaware of the loving smile Clark was giving her.

"Lois!" Clark tried to get her attention.

"What was the emergency then?" she enquired. "Some new supervillan out to take over Metropolis? A re-emergence of an old Meteor foe?"

"Lois!" he called louder.

"What." She stopped and looked at Clark. He raised an eyebrow and she smiled shyly. "Shut up?" He nodded. "Shut up!" she repeated quietly.

"It wasn't me." Clark stated. "Well actually it was, but not me today. It was me seven years ago."

"Clark, now you are sounding like you did earlier. You said some strange things. I still can't believe you saved me without," she lowered her voice "the suit."

"It wasn't me," Clark repeated for the third time. He sighed and took a deep breath. He knew a lot about how today would play out. He'd known for seven years but he didn't know how Lois would take the revelation of the truth. Looking into Lois's face he saw that she was finally listening.

"Do you remember when you dragged me to the High School reunion?"

"Boy do I ever remember. I've got a good memory." She paused and muttered under her breath. "Unlike some other people."

"I missed our dance but you never asked me why."

"I figured you had an urgent ... deadline." Lois echoed Clark's explanation from minutes before.

"Yes, you knew didn't you, but were keeping it to yourself." Clark smiled at Lois, remembering the original moment of truth in the days following. "Anyway, I disappeared because I had my first encounter with Brainiac 5."

Lois frowned. "Brainiac 5. But you first met him during the ..."

Clark cut her off. "No. Actually, I first met him at Central Kansas University. Well, technically that wasn't Brainiac 5, just Brainiac. Anyway, we're talking semantics here. The point is, Brainiac 5 time-travelled me away from the reunion."

"Time-travel! Brainiac 5! Legion ring!" Lois paused. "I get the link between the three but it still doesn't make sense."

"He showed me various places and times in my life. Helped me to realise that I'd been feeling guilty about the past and worried about the future." Clark took a breath. "One of the times he showed me was," he paused again, "today."

Lois frowned again. "So, seven years ago you actually saw today."

Clark nodded. "Not just saw. I took part."

"Took part." Lois's eyes widened as she realised what Clark meant. "That wasn't you. I mean it was ... but it wasn't." Clark smiled and nodded. "But I kissed him, he kissed me."

"I know," Clark replied meaningfully. "Think yourself lucky. He called me 'up-tight and nerdy'." Clark laughed. Lois joined in after a moment.

When the laughter died down they both sat in silence.

"So, how was your interview with the Mayor," asked Clark.

* * *

><p>Half way through the meal, a fork full of vegetables half way to his mouth, Clark suddenly felt his shin get kicked under the table. He looked over at Lois. "Hey!" He was confronted with a stern look.<p>

"You knew!" she said sternly. "You knew!" she repeated even louder. "I can't believe I laughed about it ten minutes ago. I've just realised that you sent me off to work this morning knowing that I'd get in that helicopter; knowing that YOU wouldn't save me; knowing that I'd kiss someone else."

"I did save you. And you didn't kiss someone else," Clark replied.

"Semantics, honey!" Lois said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Clark put down his fork and softened his voice. "Now come on Lois," he said cajoling. "Today needed to play out like this. I had to experience YOU. I needed to see this future, with you. I returned to that reunion dance a different person." He put a little boy pleading expression on his face.

"I remember that dance, Clark. I remember you. What do you class as different ... because you were still the same bumbling Clark to me." Clark looked offended at the bumbling comment. "Missing the dance, lost little boy look on your face." Lois was definitely upset.

"Lois, sweetheart," Clark reached out and took her hand. "Don't you remember what happened later that night?" Lois frowned down at her hand, enveloped in Clark's.

"You invited me to the barn ... for an impromptu, silent, dance."

"I told you I loved you." Clark stated lovingly. "I'd been afraid to say it. Afraid to hope for a future with you, but experiencing today gave me hope, brought me out of my insecurity. Without today ..."

"You're telling me that you only re-started our relationship because you knew it would turn out alright? Where's the romance in that, where's the 'leap of faith'. I can't believe you weren't willing to put your heart on the line for me Clark." Lois stood up and dropped her napkin on the table. She turned away and Clark stood grabbing her arm quickly.

"Lois!"

"I need to freshen up," she said expressionlessly.

"Lois. You've got it all wrong." She turned back to look at him, a 'go on – explain then' look on her face. "I'm not saying I wouldn't have told you anyway. I'm sure I would. I fell more in love with you every day. A day would have come when I couldn't keep it in any longer. I just think that seeing today gave me the courage to do it sooner."

Lois sat herself back down slowly.

"I still put my heart on the line that night. I knew how things would be eventually but you had quite clearly put us in the friendship closet. I worried that I might have to wait years before you came back around to me."

Lois picked up her napkin and wrung it in her hands in nervousness. "But you still let me get in that helicopter."

"I knew that someone would save you. I knew you were in good hands."

Lois smiled shyly. "The best." She looked up at Clark. "So why did you leave the save to him, I mean young you? Why not save me yourself?"

"I had to stop a nuclear explosion outside Metropolis at the exact same time."

"Ahh!" Lois admitted to herself that it was a pretty good excuse. Clark's excuses were usually pretty good.

* * *

><p>Lois put down her fork and leant back in her chair. "That was just too yummy," she said referring to the piece of chocolate cake she had just devoured. Looking up her eyes encountered Clark's. He was staring at her, a familiar look in his eyes.<p>

"I guess I can forgive you. I'm glad we've had seven years together rather than four or five or however many if you'd taken your time." She lowered her eyes. It was hard to look into those blue eyes when they were so intense. She knew exactly what he had in mind when he looked at her like that.

"Clark?" she asked.

"Yes!" he replied. His voice was no longer Clark's tenor but Superman's baritone. It was soft and quiet ... and sexy.

"I'd like to go home now." They both stood and Clark dealt with the bill while Lois got her coat on. Outside the restaurant Clark turned Lois to face him.

"Are you ok with this?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes, I am." She smiled up at him. "Take me home, honey."

"How fast?" he asked.

"Super-fast, please." Clark took Lois's hand and walked them round to the alley next to the restaurant. Once out of sight he scooped Lois up in his arms and flew her back home.

Moments later they were in the kitchen. Clark lowered Lois to the floor but she kept her arms around his neck.

"Now, what were we doing earlier?" asked Lois in a teasing voice. "Oh yes!" She removed her hands from Clark's neck and reached up to remove his glasses. "I remember that face." She smiled. Clark smiled back at her. "Thank you for saving me."

"Always," replied Clark then lowered his mouth to capture her lips.

THE END


End file.
